The St. Patrick's Day Shillelagh by Janet Nolan, Ben
Stahl (Illustrator)

In the time of the Irish potato famine, Fergus and his family left for
America. But first Fergus cut a branch from a blackthorn tree so that
he could take a piece of Ireland with him. On the journey, he whittled
the branch into a shillelagh. Each St. Patrick's Day, Fergus told his
story of coming to America and of the shillelagh that he brought with
him.

Throughout the years, one generation after another passed the shillelagh
on along with Fergus's story, adding their own life experiences. On
this St. Patrick's Day, Kayleigh finds the shillelagh and listens
to her grandfather share their history. He then places the shillelagh
in Kayleigh's hands, making her the keeper of the family story.